What worked for you in the past?
This question ran through my mind after yet another day of asking myself what exactly I’d accomplished. Here’s a snapshot of that list: laundry, dishes, picked up around the house, sorted the mail, went to the cleaners, grabbed lunch at Salata, ran to the grocery store, walked the dog…or what I lovingly call the rat house race, where I feel like it’s Groundhog’s Day every day, and I’m doing the same things over and over again, yet getting nowhere I want to go.
After watching my bank account significantly decline, I realized nothing I was doing each day was contributing financially to my family’s wellbeing.
I had to face the facts. All this activity, while necessary to keep the household running, was becoming a distraction. I was choosing to get these tasks done first, instead of prioritizing doing the work I know I’m created to do and will also put money in the bank.
That’s when it hit me. I’d been productive in the past, so what did I do to help me stay focused on my goals and get things done? The answer (drum roll, please)…
The library.
That’s where I was most productive. In college, I cheered for Baylor and was in a sorority (Chi Omega), so in between cheer practices and sorority meetings, you could find me in Jones Library’s second floor cubicle by the window.
Business school was a real challenge for me, and I knew if I didn’t study like a maniac, I wouldn’t make it. I got into Baylor on academic probation because I couldn’t get my ACT score high enough, so I knew what I lacked in book smarts I would have to make up for with sheer hard work and determination.
So that’s what I did. I went to the library every chance I got, and I studied. I graduated from the business school with a 3.4, which, for me, was an accomplishment.
So here I am, over a decade later, and I realized I need to get my butt back to the library. For years, my friend, Megan, had been telling me to check out our local library. She took her kids all the time, and they loved it. So, I moseyed on over that way, and that’s when I found the holy grail!
For about a couple of years now, I’ve known working from home is not an excellent fit for me. Due to my shiny object syndrome and severe ADD, I have a hard time staying focused at home—too many other things to organize and do, so I’ve been looking into office space. But, when I crunched the numbers, it didn’t make sense financially to do that.
Then, that day at the library, I discovered suites you can rent for free (Heavens open and angels sing down on me)! I now have an office at the library 🙂
I quickly realized I needed to get organized going into each day so I was efficient on what precisely I was going to accomplish at the office with my time.
That meant making sure I had all of the tools I needed and I set clear goals, like make 10 speaking contacts per day and watch one module of the business program I bought. Instead of my usual list of 30 small tasks, I focused on a few essential tasks or dollar productive tasks.
It’s incredible how taking time to ask ourselves what’s worked for us in the past, and implementing those methods back into our lives, can be a game-changer. I’m more productive, I feel on a mission again, and the best part is, at the end of the day, I feel like I’m moving the pendulum toward my ultimate goals, dreams, and what I’m contributing to the world.
If, like me, you’ve ever felt stuck and unproductive in a specific area of your life, ask yourself this question, “What’s worked for me in the past?”
Listen, be open and curious about any ideas that come your way, and then go implement them immediately! You’ve got this. Love and Blessings.
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